


Oblivious

by Aniimone



Series: Eternal [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Chapter 700 never happened, Fluff, Hokage Uzumaki Naruto, M/M, Naruto is Mr. Emotionally-Sensitive, Naruto never marries Hinata, One Shot, One-Shot, Post-War, SasuNaruSasu - Freeform, Sasuke comes off as cold and distant except around Naruto, Sasuke never marries Sakura, Slight Canon Divergence, narusasunaru, pretty much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-10-08 06:39:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10380711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aniimone/pseuds/Aniimone
Summary: Sasuke returns to the village. Naruto, now Hokage, realizes he feels something towards Sasuke. Sasuke alienates himself from society and Sakura convinces Naruto to go talk to him, after Sasuke tells her just why he's not interested in her.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think in the comments!

Sasuke knew from the moment he had his accidental first kiss that he was gay. For a while, he thought he was above crushes, especially cheesy school crushes on boys. Then that dumb blue-eyed, blonde idiot came crashing into Sasuke’s life and turned it upside down without any idea what he was doing to his best friend. Instead, he spent his childhood chasing after a girl who wanted Sasuke, but he couldn’t have told her more obviously that he wanted nothing to do with her. Eventually, after risking and nearly losing his life many times for the sake of that same dumb blonde with the fiercest determination he’s seen in anyone, the resentment built up enough that Sasuke left. He got as far away from that single ray of light as he could and went to train under Orochimaru. He still had to get vengeance for his clan’s murder, after all. Naruto was the only one who could have persuaded him not to.

He almost did, too. If he’d just noticed how Sasuke felt about him, all that time… Maybe he would have succeeded.

That’s all in the past though. When Sasuke encountered his former teammates at one of Orochimaru’s hideouts, he’d been surprised. Annoyed, mainly, but still surprised. He wouldn’t let them get in the way of his training. He couldn’t. Not when he was so close to tracking down Itachi and killing him at last. What he needed was to stay away from Naruto. If that meant breaking his heart, so be it. Naruto had already shattered his.

Still, for years, Naruto chased after Sasuke. When everyone else gave up hope, thought he was a lost cause. Naruto followed him, swearing he would bring Sasuke back. Somehow, every time Sasuke heard him renew his promise, it warmed his heart a little. It shone another ray into his darkness.

The curse of hatred is a terrible one, and Sasuke had been entrenched in it since he was a child.

Now, returned to the village, Sasuke has been keeping to himself. He knows he doesn’t belong here anymore. Not with Naruto as Hokage, not with Sakura as a medical ninja. It seems that while Sasuke may have gotten monumentally stronger, he really didn’t get very far in life. He never thought out what he would do once he killed his brother. So when Naruto brought him back, he hadn’t known what to do with himself. He’d found a little apartment for himself and started wearing more inconspicuous clothing. He grew out his hair to hide his Rinnegan. He went off on missions often, trying to stay out of town. Most of them were solo, as Sasuke requested from Naruto. Honestly, Naruto is probably the only one Sasuke talks to these days, and that is mostly for missions.

Sasuke sighs. He’s sitting on the floor of his tiny apartment, eating dinner on his small table. His place has one bed, a kitchen, and a bathroom. There’s a window, but no balcony. His income could afford a larger place, but he doesn’t care to bother finding one. It was hard enough to convince the landlord of this tiny place to let someone with his criminal history have a room. Naruto's influence certainly played a role in convincing the man.

Hokage. Who would’ve thought that idiot would really get the job? He must have worked hard while Sasuke was gone.

Now, Naruto’s the one who gets attention from the women around him. Sakura tried to subtly show Sasuke that she still loves him, but he eventually had to sit down with her in his apartment and tell her the truth. He doesn’t like women. He never has, and probably never will.

She had been shocked at first, but she accepted it. Not a lot of people in Konoha are gay, but enough are for it not to be frowned upon. Ninja usually don’t have much time for relationships in the first place, though. Sasuke had encouraged Sakura to stay away from him and live her life. She eventually decided to focus solely on her career and rumors have started spreading that she might become manager of the Konoha hospital, soon.

Sasuke is happy for his former comrades. Nonetheless, he can’t shake the jealousy in the back of his mind. Jealousy of their success. He willingly acknowledges that he screwed himself over when he was younger. He may have been under Orochimaru’s influence, but he still knew what he was doing.

It’s only because of Naruto that he’s even been allowed to live. At times, Sasuke wonders if it was really worth it. Sometimes, he wishes that Naruto would just have let him be sentenced to death or lifelong imprisonment. Anything better than seeing the man he fell in love with all the way back in the academy and the woman he knew as an annoying drag be so much better off than himself, every single day for the rest of his life.

Nothing is worse than seeing the only person you ever cared about lose interest in you and move on with life.

God, everything always boils down to this, doesn’t it? Naruto is kind and caring and never goes back on his word. His life goals are being completed and he’s becoming as powerful and popular as he had ever hoped to be. Sasuke has killed many and betrayed countless others. He even tried to kill the only ray of light in his once very dark world, and now he’s been dragged into the light by that same man, but he doesn’t know what to do with this chance.

Now, no one is close enough to notice how much agony he’s in. Only Sakura or Naruto would be able to tell, and Sakura has been avoiding him since he told her to. Sasuke’s been avoiding Naruto whenever he can because he hates the feelings he’s always left with after they start talking about anything besides work.

Both of them and even some of the other people Sasuke used to know before he left have invited him to go out, but he always refuses. He always ends up sitting alone at the bar while the rest of them go off to dance or head home early.

A gay, one-armed, formerly missing ninja with a criminal record longer than… He won’t finish that analogy.

Everyone is too scared of him to approach him directly, too. He makes it clear that he doesn’t want company, and that he’s perfectly fine on his own.

So here Sasuke is. Sitting alone, in his apartment, eating dinner. He got back from a mission just a few hours ago. He showered and changed after he went to Naruto’s office and gave his report. Mostly, he does reconnaissance missions for Konoha on the smaller lands. Naruto always seems reluctant to send him on more dangerous missions, despite Sasuke’s insistence that he can handle himself.

Sasuke hears a knock on the door that would have startled him if he hadn’t begun to feel a presence anyway. Wondering who it is, he stand up and walks to the door. He unlocks it and cracks it open, but he blocks the entrance with his body.

“Naruto. What do you want?” he asks.

“Hey,” Naruto replies, looking nervous. “I, um… I want to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“How you’ve been.”

“No thanks. Go away.”

“Sasuke,” Naruto replies, pushing the door back open when Sasuke tries to close it. “Just let me come in for a minute and talk to you. Please?”

Sasuke looks at him and eventually sighs. He steps away from the door and walks back to his dining table. Naruto follows him and takes off his shoes inside the door, then closes it. He takes a look around Sasuke’s apartment with a small frown.

“What?” Sasuke snaps.

“Nothing, sorry, I just… I’ve never been to your place,” Naruto says.

He crosses the space between them and sits opposite Sasuke.

“So? Why are you here?” Sasuke asks.

“You’ve been weird. Sakura won’t tell me what happened exactly, just that she realized you aren’t the same guy she used to know. I’ve wanted to ask you about it for a while now, but never really got a chance. You were always asking me for missions,” Naruto replies.

“And?” Sasuke inquires, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, something’s definitely off. You’ve been all closed off and avoidant. You don’t even spar with anyone.”

“So what? You didn’t come all this way just to ask me to spar with you. Especially not after,” Sasuke says, nodding between his missing left arm and Naruto’s bandaged right.

Naruto sighs.

“Listen, Sasuke. Sakura told me that I’m probably the only one you’ll talk to. So please. Will you just tell me what’s wrong?” he pleads.

“It’s not like you can do anything about it,” Sasuke replies.

“Just tell me.”

Sasuke stares at him for a moment, thinking.

“Fine. Nobody wants me around here. So why did you spend so much time going after me? Why did you save my life? Why don’t you send me on dangerous missions? I’m like a plague, Naruto. The last Uchiha. A criminal. So why didn’t you give up on me, too?”

Naruto looks back at him. His face has always been expressive. He’s conflicted, now. Sasuke wonders why.

“That’s not true,” Naruto eventually growls out. “I want you around here. So does Sakura. Even the other guys are willing to give you another chance, if you’d just talk to us once in awhile!”

Sasuke feels like he’s been slapped.

“You didn’t answer my main question. Why do you take so much care of me? You don’t need to,” he replies.

“Because,” Naruto tells him. “I’m your friend. I told you so back then, didn’t I?”

“That can’t be the only reason,” Sasuke claims.

“Fine, then tell me why you care so much?” Naruto retorts.

Sasuke shuts his mouth tightly. He won’t give that answer. That’s too important. Naruto would leave him then for sure. Sasuke refuses to risk that.

“Sasuke?” Naruto pries. “Tell me.”

“I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“You wouldn’t understand, usuratonkachi.”

“Like hell I won’t. Try me.”

“You won’t,” Sasuke insists.

Naruto narrows his eyes and clenches his fists.

“Why are you so stubborn?” Naruto asks.

“Because even if I told you, it wouldn’t make a difference,” Sasuke responds, looking down at his plate. Suddenly, his appetite is gone.

“Why not?”

Sasuke doesn’t reply.

“Sasuke, why wouldn’t it? What won’t you tell me?” Naruto asks. “Is it so bad that you can’t tell your closest friend?”

Sasuke snaps his head up and fixes Naruto under an icy glare. He hadn’t realized his Sharingan had started working until he sees his reflection in Naruto’s blue eyes. Sasuke is visibly shaking.

“Yes, Naruto. It is,” Sasuke says softly.

Naruto’s eyes widen slightly and his eyebrows knit together in pity and sadness.

“Sasuke,” he murmurs, trying to reach out and touch Sasuke’s cheek.

Sasuke turns his head away.

“Just go, Naruto,” Sasuke requests, silently cursing himself for the way his voice breaks.

Naruto nods, not saying another word as he stands up and starts walking towards the door. He pauses after he’s put his shoes back on and has his hand on the doorknob.

He opens his mouth to say something, Sasuke knows it. Naruto just closes his mouth and leaves, though.

Thinking about the way Sasuke had reacted to their conversation, he runs home on top of the roofs and houses of Konoha. What could be so terrible that Sasuke won’t even tell Naruto?

~+~+~+~+~

“Sakura, I went to see Sasuke yesterday,” Naruto tells her when she comes to visit him on his lunch break.

She looks up at him hopefully.

“And?”

Naruto sighs, rubbing his hands down his face.

“He wouldn’t tell me.”

Sakura looks at him sympathetically.

“I just don’t get it. What could be that bad? What does he want to hide from me so much?” Naruto asks.

“For someone as in tune with other people as you, you sure can be oblivious to the feelings of your closest friend,” Sakura comments.

He glares at her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’ll either tell you when he’s ready, or you’ll figure it out. It’s not my place to tell you what he said to me, but I will say that it has more to do with you than I think you realize,” she replies.

Sakura turns and starts to walk out the door as Naruto stands up and asks her what she means. She waves over her shoulder and leaves, walking back to work.

Naruto sighs exasperatedly and sits back down. He props his elbows on his desk and puts his head in his hands. Naruto groans and gets so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t even realize when someone enters the room.

“Um… Hokage-sama?” a timid voice calls.

Naruto looks up. It’s his secretary.

“Oh. Yes?” he replies.

“Sasuke is here to see you again,” she tells him.

Hopeful, Naruto sits up again and motions for her to send him in. She nods and leaves. Sasuke walks in a moment later.

“I’m not sending you on a mission until you tell me,” Naruto says.

Sasuke looks shocked for a moment, but recovers quickly.

“Fine. Then come out for a drink with me, tonight,” he requests.

“Really?” Naruto asks, feeling like this is almost too good to be true.

“Yes. I’ll meet you at the bar across from Ichiraku's around eight.”

Naruto gapes.

“Oh… Okay,” he replies.

Sasuke turns on his heel and walks out, his dark cloak billowing behind him. Naruto watches him go and his gaze lingers a little longer than is strictly necessary. Sasuke is going to tell him. Right? That’s how he made it sound. Naruto just hopes that he doesn’t get too drunk to remember before Sasuke does. He probably won’t. He doesn’t drink that much.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto finds Sasuke sitting at a table in the back of the bar. He makes his way over, earning a few glances from customers. It’s not often that the Hokage himself comes in here. More often, he’s over at Ichiraku’s. When they see who he’s making his way towards though, they tend to look away quickly.

“You came,” Sasuke comments.

“Of course I did!” Naruto replies.

Sasuke sighs and takes a sip of what looks like Sake. Naruto sits down across from him and pours himself a cup. He downs it and looks back at his friend.

“So? What’s been going on with you?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke takes another drink before he meets Naruto’s gaze.

“I’m gay,” Sasuke says.

He looks at Naruto as if daring him to say something teasing or negative.

“That’s all?” Naruto asks instead, looking slightly hurt.

Sasuke startles. Of all the possible reactions he had imagined, this was not one of them. And he had prepared for the others.

“Um…”

“Well, why did you try to keep that from me?” Naruto asks. “It’s not like it matters.”

Sasuke blinks.

“You’re still as annoying as always,” Naruto continues. “At least I know what’s going on, now. But I honestly don’t see why you think that means you can’t hang out with Sakura or I anymore.”

“You don’t care?” Sasuke asks, clarifying.

“Of course not.”

“But… Why not?”

“Well… Sai’s gay, too. I don’t really know what I am anymore. I like Hinata, and I used to like Sakura, but I guess I’ve usually found guys alright too. I mean, when Sai made a move on me, I still liked Sakura, but Shikamaru’s not bad. Neither’s Kiba,” Naruto says.

Sasuke just stares at him.

“You’re bi,” he states after a moment.

“What?”

“You’re bisexual.”

“What’s that?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“It means you can like both guys and girls,” he replies.

“Oh! Then, yeah. I guess I am,” Naruto answers, grinning now.

“Idiot,” Sasuke mutters, taking another drink.

Naruto chuckles and scratches the back of his neck.

“Will you start hanging out with me again, now?” he asks.

“Maybe,” Sasuke replies, looking at him.

Naruto smiles.

“Great! I’ve missed you.”

Sasuke tries to ignore the flash of warmth that runs to his face at that statement. Naruto, however, notices.

“Wait, are you blushing?” he asks incredulously, a little too loudly.

“Shut up, idiot! Of course not. It’s just the lighting,” Sasuke retorts.

It is dark in the back of the bar, but not enough for that to be a viable excuse.

Naruto guffaws.

“You’re totally blushing!” he accuses.

Sasuke turns his face away and sulks, but feels his cheeks heat up more. Naruto just chuckles and Sasuke watches him out of the corner of his eye.

They keep drinking, catching up a little. Naruto realizes how much Sasuke has been alienated and swears that he’s going to change that. He offers to go sparring with Sasuke in a few days, when Naruto will be free. Being the Hokage is a demanding and time-consuming job.

Naruto makes a joke that actually makes Sasuke chuckle, and he catches himself staring at his lips. Sasuke raises an eyebrow at him questioningly.

“Had a little too much to drink, Naruto?” he asks.

Naruto gulps at his tone. Sasuke always had a deep voice. It has always made Naruto feel some kind of way. When he was younger, it annoyed him. When they were teens, whenever they ran into each other, it gave him conflicting feelings. He never really thought about what those were at the time. It was only once Sasuke returned to the village and Naruto heard his deep voice again that he started to realize that what he felt for his former comrade and best friend was more than just that.

“Maybe I have,” Naruto breathes, staring into Sasuke’s uncovered coal black eye.

Sasuke smirks; arrogant bastard.

“You haven’t told me who made you realize you like guys,” Sasuke claims.

“Sure I did! Kiba and Shikamaru!” Naruto responds.

Sasuke shakes his head.

“You were in love with Sakura for years,” he comments.

“Well, a guy can have more than one crush!” Naruto replies.

Sasuke snorts.

“What? You must have had a crush if you knew you were gay!” Naruto says.

“Maybe I did. That doesn’t mean I have to tell you who he was,” Sasuke states.

“No, but you can at least tell me how many crushes you’ve had,” Naruto retorts.

Sasuke looks him dead in the eye.

“One.”

Naruto blinks.

“One? Just one guy? Is that enough to tell if you’re gay or not?” he asks.

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“For me, yeah. Not to mention the fact that I never had any interest in girls, even before…”

“Before what?” Naruto inquires, leaning closer over the table.

“It’s nothing,” Sasuke claims.

“Sorry,” Naruto replies, leaning back again. “I was just curious.”

“No, it’s alright. I just… I can’t tell you who,” Sasuke states.

“Why not? Do you think I won’t approve?” Naruto asks.

“No, but I don’t think you’ll understand.”

“We already went over this, Sasuke. You thought I wouldn’t understand you being gay but look, I’m bi, so I do. Try me.”

Sasuke looks him in the eye and his expression shuts Naruto up.

“I don’t want to tell you yet,” Sasuke says.

“Alright,” Naruto replies softly. “I understand.”

He takes another sip of a beer he ended up with and sets the glass back down. He stands up and puts on his cloak.

“I should head home. I can’t stay up drinking with you all night or Konoha’s going to be without a Hokage for a day. Come by whenever you want,” he tells Sasuke. “Oh, and one more thing.”

Sasuke looks back at him questioningly. Naruto smiles nervously.

“You also helped me realize I liked guys,” he claims.

Before his words are processed by Sasuke’s brain, Naruto’s out the door of the bar and sprinting home over the rooftops. Sasuke pays the bill (which Naruto stuck him with) and heads home, walking through the streets with his mind racing. He actually bumps into a guy and starts to apologize to him, but once the man realizes who Sasuke is, he’s the one apologizing and hurrying on his way. Sasuke sighs.

Just because Naruto wants things to go back to the way they were doesn’t mean that they will.

Does Naruto mean to tell him that he likes Sasuke? If he’s just saying that he used to, then he obviously has no idea how Sasuke feels about him. That’s probably for the best, anyway. If they got together now, the council would think that Naruto only begged them to spare Sasuke’s life because they were lovers. Even though that was not the case. If anything happens between them now, they’ll have to be careful who they tell and who finds out. Hinata obviously still loves Naruto, but the idiot remains oblivious. Sasuke always feels a little satisfaction whenever Hinata makes an advance and Naruto passes it off as her being weird.

Sometimes, his idiocy works in Sasuke’s favor.

Sasuke faces the door of his apartment and realizes he wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings most of the time he walked here. He unlocks it and enters, slipping off his shoes and closing the door behind him. He walks in and sits down on the edge of his bed, staring out the window. The moon and the stars are out. Sasuke sighs and stands back up. He changes into his pajamas (just a pair of loose dark sweatpants) and walks into his bathroom. He brushes his teeth, combs his hair, and then heads to bed.

Sasuke lies in his bed for a while, just staring at the ceiling and thinking about Naruto. He wants to leave town and think about all this on his own for a while, but that requires going to see Naruto for another mission.

Sasuke sighs and contemplates his options until he falls asleep.

~+~+~+~+~

In the morning, Naruto wakes up in his apartment with a pounding headache and a mouth that feels like it’s been filled with cotton. He groans as he sits up, but he still gets out of bed and turns off his alarm. He crosses the room to his dresser and changes into day clothes. Naruto heads to the bathroom down the hall and brushes his teeth and washes his face. He stares at himself in the mirror. He has dark circles under his eyes, and he sighs.

“I guess I drank a little more than I meant to,” he mumbles.

He recalls last night’s events and is grateful to realize he still remembers what happened, but he doesn’t remember leaving or what he said before he did. He knows it was something meaningful and important, though. He just hopes that if he doesn’t know what it is, neither does Sasuke.

Meanwhile, Sasuke is waking up and completing his morning routine. He showers after he gets up, then gets dressed and eats breakfast at home. He brushes his teeth, combs his hair, and thinks about last night.

Naruto confessed.

Or at least, he confessed to at one point liking Sasuke. Sasuke scowls and cleans up his dishes. He tidies his apartment, which doesn’t take long since he already has very few things, and walks towards the door. He puts his hand on the doorknob, wearing his shoes, but hesitates. What if Naruto doesn’t remember? What would Sasuke do? He decided before he fell asleep that he would go to Naruto this morning and ask for a mission. Now he starts to wonder if he should bring up what happened last night.

He sighs and heads out, locking the door behind him before he takes off over the rooftops, running towards Hokage tower.

He just hopes that Naruto is already there.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto reads through another sheet of paper, barely registering what the words say. It’s the second page of a mission report from one of the squads investigating the disappearance of one of the Land of Petals’ main artifacts. He sighs. His headache hasn’t faded.

His secretary comes in and tells him that Sasuke is here. He tells her to send him in. She leaves. Sasuke walks in a moment later.

“Naruto,” he greets.

“Sasuke.”

“I’d like another mission,” Sasuke claims.

Naruto looks at him.

“I don’t have any solo missions available right now,” he says.

“What?” Sasuke asks.

“I’m sorry, but you’ve taken care of all the recon we need for now. I have to have other teams analyze the information you’ve given me before I can send you out again.”

“Fine,” Sasuke replies. “What am I supposed to do in the meanwhile?”

“I don’t know,” Naruto answers.

They stare at each other for a moment. Sasuke glances towards the door, but doesn’t move towards it. Instead, once he sees that it’s closed, he takes the few steps he needs to close the distance between himself and Naruto’s desk.

“Do you remember what you said last night?” Sasuke whispers.

Naruto looks surprised, and almost afraid.

“No. I know it was important though,” he claims, also speaking quietly.

Sasuke sighs and looks down. Of course Naruto doesn’t remember. He was drunk.

“Well, if you don’t know, I won’t force you to remember,” Sasuke tells him.

“What did I say?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke doesn't reply.

“Sasuke, what did I say?” Naruto repeats, pleading with his eyes.

Sasuke tries to resist, but he can’t.

“You told me that I was part of how you realized you like guys, and not just girls,” he replies in an even quieter voice.

Naruto’s eyes widen.

“Shit,” he whispers.

Sasuke glares at him.

“Okay. Well, what did you say?” Naruto asks.

“I didn’t say anything, idiot, you ran off,” Sasuke hisses, gesturing to Naruto.

“Fuck. I’m sorry,” Naruto replies.

Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“Don’t apologize, usuratonkachi. Who wouldn’t have left after saying something like that. Besides, you were already getting up to leave,” he says.

“Okay. Well, what would you have said?” Naruto asks.

Sasuke looks at him. He hadn’t come here to talk about this. He’d come to ask for a mission and to see if Naruto remembered. Of course that conversation would lead here though. Sasuke sighs.

“I would have told you that the only boy I ever had a crush on was you,” he says so quietly that Naruto barely hears him.

Nonetheless, he still hears him.

Naruto’s eyes widen and he stares at Sasuke.

“You… Really?” he asks.

“Yes,” Sasuke replies.

“Do you… Do you still like me?” he asks.

“What?” Sasuke snaps.

Both of them are still speaking in whispers.

“Do you still like me, or not?” Naruto questions.

Sasuke looks at him, thinking. If he answers honestly, there are two ways Naruto could react. He could say he likes Sasuke too, or he could be uncomfortable and try to ostracize Sasuke.

Well, there’s not really any getting out of this situation anyway.

“Yes.”

“Oh,” Naruto replies quietly.

Sasuke glares at him.

“What about you?” he asks Naruto, in a slightly scathing tone.

“I’ve loved you for a while, but I only realized it when you came back,” Naruto answers. “For a while, I thought I just considered you a brother. But when I realized I liked guys too, well… Let’s just say it opened a few door for me.”

Now it’s Sasuke’s turn to stare at him in shock. He feels a little light-headed, honestly. Acting impulsively and knowing he’ll regret this decision, he grabs the front of Naruto’s shirt with his hand and pulls him forward. Closing his eyes, he smashes their mouths together. Once Naruto gets over the shock, he starts to kiss Sasuke back. Sasuke breaks the contact quickly and pulls away, panting. Naruto watches him, breathing in short gasps too.

“You know we can’t tell anyone about this,” Sasuke breathes, letting go of Naruto’s shirt.

“I know,” Naruto replies, smoothing out his clothes.

Sasuke looks him up and down.

“You can come by whenever you want,” he says in a normal tone.

Naruto cracks a smile.

“But I still want to go out on the next solo mission you’ve got,” Sasuke adds.

Naruto’s smile falls, and he nods.

“Alright. I guess you don’t want to spar the day after tomorrow, then?”

Sasuke glances at him.

“We can. I didn’t realize you were serious,” he claims.

“Of course I was!” Naruto replies.

“Alright. Then come over for dinner tonight and we can make plans,” Sasuke tells him, starting to walk towards the door.

Naruto grins.

“I will,” he promises.

“Then, see you later,” Sasuke responds before he walks out.

Sakura comes in a moment later.

“What are you so happy about?” she asks Naruto.

“Nothing,” he responds.

“You’re a terrible liar, you know,” she claims crossing her arms and standing in front of Naruto’s desk.

Naruto looks back at her for a moment.

“He told me,” Naruto admits.

“He told you?”

“Yeah!”

“Why are you so happy, then?” Sakura asks.

“Well, he said he’ll start hanging out with me again,” Naruto replies.

“Really? Just because you were okay with it?”

“Well, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because he’s gay, Naruto! You’re straight, aren’t you?” she questions. “And you’ve never known someone who was gay, right?”

“Sai is bisexual, and no I’m not,” Naruto says.

Sakura blinks.

“What?”

“I like guys and girls,” Naruto tells her.

“You… You do? Then…”

“Sakura, it doesn’t matter how I figured it out. All that matters is that Sasuke won’t be avoiding me anymore, and that makes me happy,” Naruto claims.

Sakura stares at her friend.

Eventually, she nods and takes a step forward.

“You look terrible. When did you go to sleep?” she asks.

“I don’t know. I went for a drink with Sasuke last night. That’s when he told me,” Naruto replies.

“Wait, then what was he doing here this morning?”

“He wanted a mission. I told him I don’t have any solo ones for him.”

“Why did you say that?” Sakura asks.

“So he’ll stick around a little while longer. Besides, all the information I’ve been having him gather lately has to be analyzed before I can send him back out,” Naruto tells her with a shrug, picking up some more documents to read over.

“Naruto, do you like anyone right now?” Sakura asks hesitantly.

He glances back up at her.

“No. Why are you asking?”

“No reason. Just curious, I guess,” she replies, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She does that when she’s nervous. Or lying.

“Sakura, what’s wrong?” Naruto asks gently.

“Nothing,” she claims, a little too quickly.

Naruto frowns. She’s hiding something, but he doesn’t know what. If she doesn’t want to tell him though, it’s not his place to pry.

“Um, I came because your secretary called me. She said you’ve been complaining about a headache, and if you were drinking, it makes sense. So I brought you this,” she tells him, handing over a small thermos of heavenly-scented tea.

She sets it on Naruto’s desk and he picks it up. He takes a deep sniff and looks up at Sakura appreciatively.

“Wow, this smells amazing.”

“Thank you. It’s made of herbs that should get rid of your headache,” she replies.

“Sakura-chan, you’re a life-saver,” Naruto tells her.

She grins.

“It is kind of my job.”

Naruto chuckles and lets Sakura head back to the hospital. He continues reading over his documents, signing or stamping them when necessary, mind constantly wandering back to Sasuke and the feeling of when their lips met. It was different than that time in the academy. This was intentional, and more gentle. Both of them wanted it, and it showed. Not mention the fact that they didn’t have to act disgusted afterwards. Naruto touches his hand to his lips. He can still feel the buzz from their contact.

When he kissed Sasuke that first time, that was his first. This was his second. He wonders if it’s the same for Sasuke.

~+~+~+~+~

When Naruto knocks on the door of Sasuke’s apartment this time, he isn’t greeted by a hostile glare and his friend blocking the entrance. Instead, Sasuke lets him in and leads him to the main room. They sit opposite each other by the table and Sasuke already has dinner ready. He made ramen for them, and not the kind from a cup.

Naruto is shocked, but happy. Sasuke tries to keep himself from smiling when Naruto takes a bite and says with a mouthful of food that it’s delicious.

Instead, all he manages is a half-smile.

“Thanks, idiot.”

Naruto swallows and keeps eating. Sasuke is halfway through his bowl when Naruto finishes his.

“Are you still hungry?” Sasuke asks.

“No,” Naruto replies. Then his stomach rumbles and Sasuke rolls his eyes.

“Here,” he says, pushing his bowl towards Naruto. “You can finish mine.”

“Are you sure?” Naruto asks.

“Yeah. It’s fine. Just take it, usuratonkachi.”

Naruto smiles and accepts the extra food. He finishes that off too and looks at Sasuke, satisfied.

“You know, I never thought this could happen between us,” Naruto comments.

“What are you talking about?” Sasuke asks.

“Well, you did kind of try to kill me a few times,” Naruto says, chuckling at Sasuke’s guilty expression. “So I just never really thought we could be more than rivals or comrades.”

Sasuke looks back at him.

“I suppose I didn’t either,” he responds.

Naruto smiles.

“So, about what you did in my office earlier,” he starts.

Sasuke narrows his eyes slightly.

“Should we talk about that, or…”

“That depends, usuratonkachi. Did you like it?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto’s eyes darken.

“Yes,” he replies, his tone slightly deeper than usual.

Sasuke feels heat rush south but he keeps his expression neutral.

“We can’t let anyone find out. Not even Sakura,” he says.

Naruto nods.

“I told her I wasn’t straight, and that you told me you weren’t either. She seemed surprised, but she was really nice about it,” he replies.

“Do you think she’ll figure it out?” Sasuke asks casually.

Naruto shakes his head. Then he frowns.

“She was hiding something, but she wouldn’t tell me what,” he says.

“What gave you that impression?” Sasuke asks.

“She asked if I like anyone. I told her no,” Naruto responds.

“Well, if she finds out, we’ve got to make sure she won’t tell anyone else,” Sasuke states.

Naruto nods his agreement seriously.

“By the way, when should we meet to spar?” Sasuke asks.

“Oh, right. How about the day after tomorrow, around sunset?” Naruto suggests.

“Alright. Then, if that’s settled… When do you have to go home by?”

“Well,” Naruto replies, scratching the back of his head. “That doesn’t really matter much. I don’t like living all alone in Hokage tower anyway. It’s such a big place for a single guy, so I still live in my old apartment.”

Sasuke smirks.

“I’m not letting you spend the night,” he claims.

“That’s fine,” Naruto responds.

Sasuke picks up their dishes and takes them to the sink. Naruto watches him, still sitting.

“Are we… Together, now?” he asks.

Sasuke glances over at him.

“If you want to be,” he says.

Naruto smiles gently.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” he replies.

“Fine,” Sasuke tells him, turning back to the dishes.

Once they’re all washed and set to dry upside down on the counter, he grabs two glasses out of the cupboard and a bottle of whiskey.

“Care for a drink?” he asks.

“Sure,” Naruto tells him.

Sasuke pours two glasses and walks back to Naruto. He sets one glass down in front of him and another in front of himself as he sits down. He places the bottle between them and raises his glass.

“Thanks,” he says.

Naruto raises his glass too.

“For what?” he asks.

“For bringing me back to Konoha, and for not giving up on me,” Sasuke replies.

He takes a sip and Naruto does as well. They set their glasses down and look at each other.

“Well, I couldn’t go back on my word,” Naruto says. “And I’d never let a comrade stay in the darkness.”

Sasuke snorts.

“Usuratonkachi. Your determination is going to be the end of you,” he claims.

“Oh, shut up, bastard,” Naruto retorts, laughing. He starts to calm down and smiles at Sasuke kindly. “After all, it brought you back, right?”

Sasuke looks back at him, smiling softly.

“Yeah, I guess it did,” he replies in a quiet voice.

Naruto’s smile widens slightly and he leans back on one arm, taking another sip of whiskey.

Sasuke’s eyes linger on Naruto’s lips, and Naruto notices, but doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he just keeps smiling slightly.

“You can take off your cloak if you want,” Sasuke tells him, noticing that Naruto’s still wearing it.

Naruto laughs and sets his glass down.

“Already trying to get me out of my clothes, huh? Well, I’ll tell you I’m not that easy. Even for you, Sasuke. Believe it!” Naruto says, even as he takes off his cloak and folds it up.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, smirking.

“Even for me, huh?” he questions.

Naruto blushes, but he laughs.

“Nope! Not even for you.”

Sasuke lets his eyes lose halfway and tries not to let his imagination wander.

“So you spent most of your teenage life chasing after me and won’t even let me get in your pants when I invite you over for dinner?” he asks.

“Sasuke!” Naruto exclaims.

Sasuke laughs at his expression and takes another sip of whiskey.

“Joking, usuratonkachi. Just joking.”

Naruto’s blush deepens and he glances into his glass.

“You’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” Sasuke says before he can stop himself.

Naruto looks up at him again.

“You think?”

Sasuke smirks.

“Idiot,” he teases.

“Bastard,” Naruto retorts.

Neither of the insults really come out as such. They sound instead like terms of endearment, which maybe they are. Both of them end up just smiling softly at each other.

After a few glasses each, they’ve both got a little pink in their cheeks and are starting to slur their words a bit.

“You should go home before someone figures out that the Hokage is having dinner with Sasuke Uchiha,” Sasuke claims.

“Whatever, no one cares that much,” Naruto replies.

“You’d be surprised. I see a lot of girls looking at you these days,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto waves his hand and hums to dismiss him.

“I’m telling the truth,” Sasuke says.

“Yeah, whatever. It’s not like I’m interested in anyone but you. Not since you returned,” Naruto states.

Sasuke looks at him.

“Is that so?” he asks quietly.

Naruto nods.

“I think it’s time we stopped drinking,” Sasuke claims.

They’ve only had half the bottle, but that’s still a lot. Sasuke puts the cap back on it and stands up. He takes the bottle and their glasses back to the kitchen and takes care of them. As he walks back towards Naruto, he trips and falls on top of him. Naruto stares up at him, blushing. Sasuke props himself up on his arm, but he doesn’t move off.

“Sasuke,” Naruto murmurs, looking at him with half-lidded eyes.

“Sorry, Naruto,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto puts his right hand on Sasuke’s waist and smiles slightly. Sasuke blushes pink, but then he sees Naruto close his eyes and lean up and he closes his too, leaning down. Their lips meet again, and this time they tilt their heads so their noses and teeth don’t crash. Naruto is the first to pull back and open his eyes. Sasuke stares down at him with lust in his eyes. Naruto can see the Rinnegan and he swallows.

“Is something wrong?” Sasuke asks quietly.

Naruto shakes his head.

“I just wanted to know… Have you kissed anyone besides me before?” he asks.

“No. Have you?” Sasuke replies.

Naruto shakes his head again.

Sasuke allows himself a small smile of satisfaction.

“What?” Naruto asks.

“Nothing,” Sasuke replies.

Then they’re kissing again and Naruto feels Sasuke dart his tongue out and lick Naruto’s bottom lip. He opens his mouth too and meets Sasuke between their mouths. He notices Sasuke is starting to shake and flips their positions, careful not to upset the table. His fingers deftly move up Sasuke’s sides, and Sasuke sighs into his mouth.

“I love you,” Naruto breathes against Sasuke’s lips.

Sasuke keeps kissing him, and he caresses the side of Naruto’s neck as he does.

After a while, Naruto pulls away. He looks longingly at Sasuke below him.

“I have to go home,” he murmurs.

Sasuke looks back at him for a moment, then nods and lets his hand fall.

“Yeah. I’ll see you soon,” Sasuke tells him.

Naruto nods back and stands up. He picks up his coat and puts it back on. Then he starts to walk towards the door. He stops in the hall and looks back at Sasuke.

“Thanks for dinner,” he says.

“Yeah,” Sasuke replies.

Naruto smiles and puts on his shoes. Then he’s gone, and Sasuke’s left sitting on the floor, feeling lightheaded and happier than he’s been in as long as he can remember.

Naruto walks home through the streets. He keeps thinking about Sasuke and what this means for both of them. As he walks, he runs into Sakura.

“Naruto,” she says, surprised.

“Oh, hey Sakura!” he replies, smiling.

“Where are you going?” she asks.

“Home,” he answers.

“Where were you?” she inquires.

“I went to see Sasuke,” Naruto tells her.

“You did? Again?” she asks.

He nods.

“Oh. Do you think he’d want to see me?” she inquires.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t he?”

“Well, he’s been hostile towards me since he told me,” she replies.

“Hm. I can talk to him if you want,” Naruto offers. “I think he just isn’t sure you really want to be around him or not. He kind of seems to think everyone but me hates him at this point.”

“Wow, really?” she asks.

“Yeah,” he replies.

“Have you told him that most of us want to get to know him again but he’s just so distant that we don’t think he wants us around?” Sakura inquires.

Naruto chuckles.

“Not in so many words,” he answers.

She smiles.

“Well, if you’d talk to him, that’d be great. Or better yet, convince him to go out with everyone eventually. I know you’re always busy and everyone’s usually on mission, but the next time we’re all free, we should hang out,” Sakura tells him.

Naruto nods.

“I’ll try,” he responds.

She thanks him and they continue on their way. Naruto doesn’t notice the way she looks back at him curiously after they’ve passed each other.

~+~+~+~+~

Naruto runs to the training grounds after a long day at Hokage tower. He swears that the paperwork just multiplies whenever he leaves his office for even five minutes. His secretary and everyone else left before him, so there’s no one around to see him leave.

Naruto finds Sasuke at one of the more secluded ones. The trees around it are thicker and more common. Sasuke is warming up in the center of the field. Naruto lands behind him and Sasuke slowly turns to face him.

“Well, you made it,” Sasuke says.

“Course I did,” Naruto responds, laughter tinting his voice.

“Did sitting in that office all day affect your speed in getting here?” Sasuke asks.

Naruto chuckles.

“You wish, bastard! I’m still fit,” he promises.

Sasuke raises an eyebrow at him and settles into a fighting stance.

“Prove it, then.”

Naruto grins and gets ready. Sasuke runs at him first with a series of kicks and one-handed punches. Naruto blocks and avoids most of them, and retaliates with a series of punches. He avoids Sasuke’s face though, and Sasuke does the same with his.

After about an hour, the sun has passed the horizon and they agree to stop. They walk back to the tree line, gasping for breath. They stop once they’re under the trees and look at each other, smiling a little.

“Hey Sasuke,” Naruto says.

“Yeah?”

“Sakura wants to start talking to you again. So do the others,” Naruto tells him.

“Why?”

“Because they want to get to know you again! Sakura said you act so hostile towards them that they think you don’t want them around, though.”

Sasuke shrugs.

Naruto chuckles.

“Just give them a chance, will you?” he suggests.

“Fine,” Sasuke replies. “But I’m not meeting any of them unless you’re around.’

“Alright,” Naruto tells him.

They start to catch their breath and the stars begin to come out overhead. Sasuke steps towards Naruto and kisses him swiftly. When he pulls away, he smirks.

“I’ll see you around, then. And don’t forget to let me know when my next mission is, Hokage-sama,” Sasuke says in a quiet, low voice.

Naruto tries to ignore what that tone and that name do to his body, but it’s kind of obvious. Sasuke sees it too, but he says goodbye and heads home, leaving Naruto staring after where he disappeared into the trees until he leaves, too.

**Author's Note:**

> The sequel promised in the summary is multi-chapter and I think you'll all like it. I really liked writing it. There will be smut, fluff, and angst. I'll post it sporadically at first because there are still a few things I need to change here and there.


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